NEW YORK: Former World No.2 Spaniard Paula Badosa and 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu of Canada have withdrawn from the US Open due to injuries.
Badosa was set to face Venus Williams in the first round of the tournament on Tuesday. Williams will now face either a qualifier or lucky loser.
The Spaniard has been unable to play since she was forced to retire from her second-round match at Wimbledon due to a back injury.
Currently ranked No.47, Badosa posted to social media that the injury has forced her to shut down her season.
"After struggling for many months to compete again, I am ending my season," she wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). "Those of you who know me know how much I like to compete and how difficult it has been to make this decision. We have tried everything together with my team but the pain is not letting me move forward."
On the other hand, Andreescu was drawn to face Lesia Tsurenko on Tuesday. The Ukrainian will now open against either a qualifier or lucky loser.
The 23-year-old Canadian sustained a stress fracture in her back during the hard-court summer in Washington DC and Montreal. The injury forced her out of Cincinnati but she was hoping to be cleared to play in New York.